This invention relates to methods and devices for regenerating activated carbon mainly used in air-treating devices of means of transport, in particular in their passenger compartments. However it can be also used for regeneration of activated carbon for air-treating devices in other areas. There are known a method for thermal vacuum regeneration of activated carbon and a device for carrying out the method (L. S. Bobe, Yu. E. Sinyak, A. A. Berlin, V. A. Soloukhin. Ecological and technical systems. M.: MAI publishing house, 1992, page 38).
Their drawback is the complexity as the process is conducted with simultaneous heating of a sorption cartridge to 200xc2x0 C. with vacuuming. Furthermore, when using this method, a long time is required for sorbent cooling due to lack of forced heat removal.
The most similar to this invention are a device and a method for regenerating activated carbon with live steam at an elevated pressure of 1.4-1.6 to 8-9 atmospheres. This method is widely used for desorption of vapor of various organic compounds, for example, vapor of benzene, vapor of ethyl and methyl alcohol, vapor of acetone and a number of other compounds (E. N. Serpionova. Adsorption of vapor and gases in industry. 1969, p. 193-202).
Their drawback is the necessity to have in stock waste live water steam, which can be available at an industrial enterprise only. Furthermore, when using this method for regeneration of activated carbon, subsequent prolonged drying and cooling of sorbent is required. Another drawback of this method is its carrying out at an elevated pressure, which imposes additional requirements upon separate components of the device.
The technical result of the invention is the development of a method for regeneration of activated carbon and a device for carrying out the method at an atmospheric pressure with the aid of humidity in the atmosphere, which affords quick cooling of sorbent.
The technical result is achieved due to the fact that during air cleaning of harmful impurities, in the method for regenerating activated carbon, mainly in air-treating devices for the passenger compartments of means of transport, consisting in that regeneration is performed with the aid of water vapor, condensate of atmospheric humidity pre-adsorbed on silica gel during air cleaning is used as a source of water vapor, the regeneration is carried out at an atmospheric pressure, with heating to a temperature of 160xc2x0 C. followed by cooling with the aid of a fan with an air flow of no less than 25 minxe2x88x921.
In this case a silica gel-activated carbon volume ratio is selected to be within 0.4 to 1.1.
The device for carrying out the method for regenerating activated carbon with the help of water vapor comprises a sorption cartridge wherein silica gel and activated carbon are placed, a heating element for heating the sorption cartridge during regeneration and a fan connected to the sorption cartridge for its cooling and for emitting regeneration products into the atmosphere.
Furthermore, silica gel-activated carbon volume ratio in a sorption cartridge is 0.4-1.1.
Furthermore, a heater is designed so that the sorption cartridge can be heated to 160xc2x0 C., and the fan is designed to have an air flow of no less than 25 minxe2x88x921.
The features are essential and interconnected by cause-and-effect relation with formation of a combination of essential features sufficient to achieve the technical result.